FEATURED

Letter in an envelope that is burning on a table, beside a newspaper, matches, and photographs.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the success of a few biographers, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Are domestic dingoes affectionate? Do they even exist?

Australian dingo looking into the distance standing in a field wearing a harness and leash.

Do domesticated dingoes exist? Do rescue dingoes show affection like dogs and puppies? Dingoes are known for being aloof — here’s our experience with Rusty and Jalba.

Adopting wild Australian dingoes is not as a crazy as it sounds

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

RESEARHING BIOGRAPHY

RESCUE DINGOES

Elderly senior female with a grey plait, wearing a beanie.

What is biography?

Let’s kick off this series with a quick definition of biography! How’s it different from a memoir? Let’s find out!

NFL player Tom Brady being tackled. Image by Jack Kurzenknabe

Biography: fact or fiction?

Just how truthful is a biography? And what about authorised biographies — are they more accurate? Time to look at burglars, warts and parasites!

Actor and activist Angelina Jolie, long brown hair wearing black dress, standing at a lectern, giving a speech. The background features a coat of arms with text that reads Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Biography: only about famous people?

Step into a library or bookshop and faces of famous elites take up the biography shelves. Is this our history? Do they represent who we are?

Handwritten letters on a table

Getting started with biographical research

First, the essential question: are you ready to spend years of your life with this person? Three, five, ten, twenty years? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to start your quest.

Letter in an envelope that is burning on a table, beside a newspaper, matches, and photographs.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the successes a few biographers have had, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Old limestone building Cambridge University

Using interviews in biographical research

Now that you’ve prowled through the archives and pored over letters, you’re as informed as you ever will be and are ready to carry out additional field research, such as interviews, observation and immersion.

US Capitol Building Sunrise 2nd Inauguration 2013

Immersion in life writing

From Frank Sinatra and Gay Talese to Buzz Bissinger and Friday Night Lights. Let’s take a look at Lee Gutkind, immersion in creative nonfiction and how immersion can lead to incomparable results.

Wooden shed in a field with bare trees with the late afternoon sun.

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Get this part wrong and your actual interview may be doomed. Find out about what to consider in the the pre-interview, as we go deeper into language, location, timing, power, ethics and more. It’s a long one, but a good one!

The camera is looking down on a table with looseleaf tea, a teapot and teacups filled with tea.

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Getting prepped for a biographical interview involves a fair amount of effort, congratulations on making it this far. Before we jump into the questions you’ll be asking, it’s important to consider what you should do at the start and end of your interview.

Woman and a man drinking coffee, sitting near large windows.

Interviewing for biography: interrogation, conversation, and the in-between

Which questions to ask? Consider what you’re hoping to achieve with your interview, then decide which approach to take: structured, unstructured, semi-structured, chronological, emotive or narrative.

A black dingo in NSW in a wooden enclosure and an alpine dingo on the beach wearing a harness.

Dingoes in NSW: Finding Pho and Noah

At home with rescue dingoes in NSW: creating safety in suburbia, building trust and enriching lives.

Dingo soft toys tshirts merchandise Jalba the rescue dingo sniffs dingo soft toys

The best places to buy dingo merch in Australia

Where to buy dingo soft toys, t-shirts and dingo merch: get your goods and support dingo conservation at the same time.

Australian dingo looking into the distance standing in a field wearing a harness and leash.

Are domesticated dingoes affectionate? Do they even exist?

Do domesticated dingoes exist? Do rescue dingoes show affection like dogs and puppies? Here’s our experience.

A ginger Australian dingo stands in a field of dry grass, his face turned towards the camera with his tongue hanging out.

Dingo diet: What to feed your adopted dingo (Part 1)

Reviewed by Canine Ascension, this dingo diet series brings together key information about what to feed your adopted dingo.

A young Australian dingo sits looking up at a bowl of food which includes raw kangaroo, chicken, sardines and dried meat.

Dingo Diet: 10 frequently asked questions about dingo diets (Part 2)

Dingo diet FAQ’s, from which bones to feed your adopted dingo, to training treats and what to consider when it comes to kibble.

A wild Australian dingo stands look behind itself.

Dingo diet: Sourcing and preparing your dingo’s dinner (Part 3)

Dingo dinner: sourcing food for your rescue dingo and how much, how often and when to feed your adopted dingo.

A wild dingo sits in long grass, looking at the camera. Its mouth is partially open and its tongue is visible.

Brinkley Davies and Balu Blue protects dingoes in Ningaloo

Learn more about Brinkley Davies’ Balu Blue Foundation and how they rehabilitate and protect dingoes on WA’s Ningaloo Coast.

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

Adopting wild Australian dingoes is not as a crazy as it sounds

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

A man walking with two dingoes in a field. The sun is low, it is late afternoon.

Dingo behaviour: what to expect when you adopt a dingo

Dingoes don’t bark… or do they? Do they sleep all day, wake at dawn and hunt kangaroos? Find out what to expect when you’re expecting.

A teenager is walking in a field of grass and trees with a dingo.

Thinking of adopting a dingo but worried about your kids?

Dingoes get a bad rap when it comes to kids, but dingoes and children can be a good mix in some circumstances.

WRITER

FEATURED POSTS

Letter in an envelope that is burning on a table, beside a newspaper, matches, and photographs.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the successes a few biographers have had, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Australian dingo looking into the distance standing in a field wearing a harness and leash.

Are domestic dingoes affectionate? Do they even exist?

Do domesticated dingoes exist? Do rescue dingoes show affection like dogs and puppies? Dingoes are known for being aloof — here’s our experience with Rusty and Jalba.

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

Adoping wild Australian dingoes is not as crazy as it sounds

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

RESEARCHING BIOGRAPHY

Elderly senior female with a grey plait, wearing a beanie.

What is biography?

Let’s kick off this series with a quick definition of biography! How’s it different from a memoir? Let’s find out!

NFL player Tom Brady being tackled. Image by Jack Kurzenknabe

Biography: fact or fiction?

Just how truthful is a biography? And what about authorised biographies — are they more accurate? Time to look at burglars, warts and parasites!

Actor and activist Angelina Jolie, long brown hair wearing black dress, standing at a lectern, giving a speech. The background features a coat of arms with text that reads Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Biography: only about famous people?

Step into a library or bookshop and faces of famous elites take up the biography shelves. Is this our history? Do they represent who we are?

Handwritten letters on a table

Getting started with biographical research

First, the essential question: are you ready to spend years of your life with this person? Three, five, ten, twenty years? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to start your quest.

Letter in an envelope that is burning on a table, beside a newspaper, matches, and photographs.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the successes a few biographers have had, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Old limestone building Cambridge University

Using interviews in biographical research

Now that you’ve prowled through the archives and pored over letters, you’re as informed as you ever will be and are ready to carry out additional field research, such as interviews, observation and immersion.

US Capitol Building Sunrise 2nd Inauguration 2013

Immersion in life writing

From Frank Sinatra and Gay Talese to Buzz Bissinger and Friday Night Lights. Let’s take a look at Lee Gutkind, immersion in creative nonfiction and how immersion can lead to incomparable results.

Wooden shed in a field with bare trees with the late afternoon sun.

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Get this part wrong and your actual interview may be doomed. Find out about what to consider in the the pre-interview, as we go deeper into language, location, timing, power, ethics and more. It’s a long one, but a good one!

The camera is looking down on a table with looseleaf tea, a teapot and teacups filled with tea.

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Getting prepped for a biographical interview involves a fair amount of effort, congratulations on making it this far. Before we jump into the questions you’ll be asking, it’s important to consider what you should do at the start and end of your interview.

Woman and a man drinking coffee, sitting near large windows.

Interviewing for biography: interrogation, conversation, and the in-between

Which questions to ask? Consider what you’re hoping to achieve with your interview, then decide which approach to take: structured, unstructured, semi-structured, chronological, emotive or narrative.

ADOPTING DINGOES

A black dingo in NSW in a wooden enclosure and an alpine dingo on the beach wearing a harness.

Dingoes in NSW: Finding Pho and Noah

At home with rescue dingoes in NSW: creating safety in suburbia, building trust and enriching lives.

Dingo soft toys tshirts merchandise Jalba the rescue dingo sniffs dingo soft toys

The best places to buy dingo merch in Australia

Where to buy dingo soft toys, t-shirts and dingo merch: get your goods and support dingo conservation at the same time.

Australian dingo looking into the distance standing in a field wearing a harness and leash.

Are domesticated dingoes affectionate? Do they even exist?

Do domesticated dingoes exist? Do rescue dingoes show affection like dogs and puppies? Here’s our experience.

A ginger Australian dingo stands in a field of dry grass, his face turned towards the camera with his tongue hanging out.

Dingo diet: What to feed your adopted dingo (Part 1)

Reviewed by Canine Ascension, this dingo diet series brings together key information about what to feed your adopted dingo.

A young Australian dingo sits looking up at a bowl of food which includes raw kangaroo, chicken, sardines and dried meat.

Dingo Diet: 10 frequently asked questions about dingo diets (Part 2)

Dingo diet FAQ’s, from which bones to feed your adopted dingo, to training treats and what to consider when it comes to kibble.

A wild Australian dingo stands look behind itself.

Dingo diet: Sourcing and preparing your dingo’s dinner (Part 3)

Dingo dinner: sourcing food for your rescue dingo and how much, how often and when to feed your adopted dingo.

A wild dingo sits in long grass, looking at the camera. Its mouth is partially open and its tongue is visible.

Brinkley Davies and Balu Blue protects dingoes in Ningaloo

Learn more about Brinkley Davies’ Balu Blue Foundation and how they rehabilitate and protect dingoes on WA’s Ningaloo Coast.

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

Adopting wild Australian dingoes is not as a crazy as it sounds

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

A man walking with two dingoes in a field. The sun is low, it is late afternoon.

Dingo behaviour: what to expect when you adopt a dingo

Dingoes don’t bark… or do they? Do they sleep all day, wake at dawn and hunt kangaroos? Find out what to expect when you’re expecting.

A teenager is walking in a field of grass and trees with a dingo.

Thinking of adopting a dingo but worried about your kids?

Dingoes get a bad rap when it comes to kids, but dingoes and children can be a good mix in some circumstances.

“Writers are the custodians of memory... too often memories die with their owner, and too often time surprises us by running out.”

— William Zinsser